From Domination to Genodcide
by InnocentBlaze686
Summary: Palpatine is dead, killed when the Invisible Hand was destroyed by a crashing Republic ship. Both the Republic and the CIS are in disarray. But when Mand'alor the Preserver is found on an uninhabited world, the war turns. Data found by Mand'alor points to a new galaxy, a place they can rebuild. But when they find a war going on, one of Genocide, will they flee, or will they fight?
1. Prologue

Reach

July 25, 2552

In orbit over Reach…

Shipmaster Batsca Arassee' of the _Unending Faith _looked down upon the planet below him. It was a blue-green world, a garden world populated by the blights known simply to the Covenant people as one word.

"_Humans_." Krassee' said disdainfully. They were a disease, an unfortunate event, an eye sore. They were unneeded in the galaxy; which was why the Covenant had come here, to exterminate them with extreme prejudice. But first, their fleet would have to go down first, before the planet could be invaded, and then glassed. Glassing was the process in which a large fleet of warships, such as the Covenant's, would go into low orbit in tight formation. They would then use their "Cleansing Beams" to reduce the surface of the planet to radioactive sands. This was only after the human defenses were toppled, and only a handful remained. Krassee' gave the Sangheili equivalent of a smile as he thought about cleansing the human world.

"Shipmaster!" The navigations officer called.

"What is it?" Krassee' asked.

"Multiple energy readings coming from unidentified ships reported at the edge of this system. They are neither human nor our own." He said.

"Shipmaster, there is an incoming communication coming from the unidentified ships!" The comn officer called.

"Put it through!" Krassee' said sharply. On the view screen a helmeted human appeared. The human's helmet was grayish-black, with a black visor running up through the middle of the helmet, up the top, forming a sort of T shape.

"To the forces of the Covenant armada, your war of genocide ends here and now. Your gods cannot protect you from what is to come, and you will soon be on your news begging for mercy when we are through. I am Mand'alor the Preserver, and I side with the UNSC!" The screen went black. Elites had studied the basic language of humanity, and Krassee' had understood every word.

"Shipmaster, the unidentified ships have launched fighters!" The navigations officer cried out.

"Prepare our pulse lasers, divert full power to weapons!" Krassee' yelled.

"Sir, we have an incoming transmission from the Fleetmaster!" The comns officers said. The view screen showed an image of a Sangheili in golden armor.

"Brothers, we are being assaulted on two fronts. Deploy the bulk of your forces to the planet below, put leave a portion of them on your ship. We may be boarded, and not one ship must fall into the enemies' hands, lest they use our technology against us." The Fleetmaster said gravely. "I am sending targeting solutions to you all now. May the Gods be with us all." The Fleetmaster's image faded from the view screen. The targeting solutions arrived at the _Unending_ _Faith_, and the battle for Reach began.

1000 years ago…

Unknown planet, Outer Rim…

The sharp blasts of blaster fire could be heard throughout the compound. Alarm claxons wailed, as did the wounded. Throughout the compound, bodies of humans and droids alike were scattered everywhere. Discarded gas cartridges were strewn about, nearly as numerous as the bodies. The combatants were those of the Exchange, a group of treacherous criminals in search of profit, versus the hardened veteran soldiers of the galaxy: the Mandalorians. The Exchange guards were the only ones that had fallen, as well as their droids. The Mandalorians would never fall to scumbags like these.

"Guard on your left Cassan!" A blue armored Mandalorian called to his comrade. The other blue armored Mandalorian, Cassan, spun to his left and let off a triple burst of sonic pulses. The pulses each hit their mark, deafening the Exchange guard before causing his internals to explode.

"Heavy droid coming up on your right Nacacs!" Cassan called to his comrade. Nacacs rolled backwards, seeking shelter from the droid's heavy fire. A Mandalorian in black armor and a T-visor rolled forward, throwing a thermal detonator at the droid. It hit the droid once in the head, bounced to the ground, and exploded in a ball of orange-white light. The blast caught the droid and three other guards. The Mandalorian dived into cover behind a pillar, and started taking short, 2 burst shots at a pair of guards hiding behind an overturned table. Cassan and Nacacs moved forward, suppressing the guards as other Mandalorians poured through the blast doors behind them. Several Mandalorians threw detonators at the opposite side of the room, killing off the remaining guards. A Mandalorian in red armor walked through, accompanied by two others in blue armor. The Mandalorian in black stood and looked at the one in red.

"About damn time you got here Kelborn!" The black one said.

"My apologies _Mand'alor_, they magnetically sealed several doors in our path, and we were forced to go around. I sent teams back to unseal them for a quicker escape." Kelborn said to his leader. Mand'alor nodded.

"Still should have gotten here faster, Kelborn. You must be getting old." Mand'alor said evilly. Kelborn crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his leader.

"Oh really, maybe you're the one getting old, allowing some simple mercs to get the drop on you like that." Kelborn replied.

"They had equipment that was messing with my sensors. If you want proof, here's one of them." Mand'alor said, pulling a small cylinder from his pocket. Kelborn face palmed himself.

"You have an answer to everything, don't you sir?" He asked. Mand'alor merely shrugged.

"Mand'alor, door's opened!" A Mandalorian sergeant called. The door opened, and a hail of blaster fire erupted from the room. The Mandalorians dove and rolled way from the door, seeking shelter anywhere they could.

"I want a pack of cryo grenades in there, yesterday!" Kelborn yelled. A group of Mandalorians pulled small, blue grenades from their belts. Their comrades gave them cover as the dashed to the door, set off the grenades, and tossed them in. A few muffled thumps came from the room, and the veteran soldiers poured in. The cryo grenades had frozen the Exchange staff where they stood, and many had horrified expressions on their faces. One of them, a very important looking staff member had everything below his neck frozen solid. He was blubbering madness as Mand'alor approached.

"Are you Head of security here?" Mand'alor asked very calmly. The Exchange man nodded very quickly. "Good, 'cause you're going to give me the access codes to this compound's database, including all classified material. Otherwise, there will be a nice big hole right in between your eyes. How does that sound?" Mand'alor said very slowly, enunciating every word like he was talking to a toddler. The Exchange guard began to cry as he nodded.

"I-I-In my shirt pocket, upper-right side!" He managed to say before breaking out into a flood of tears. Mand'alor simply punched a hole in the ice where the pocket was located. He pulled the code key out of the pocket and looked at it.

"Thank you very much." Mand'alor said. The guard did not notice Mand'alor slowly reach for his blaster pistol.

"S-So you'll let me live?" The guard sobbed.

"Yes I will." Mand'alor said. The guard stopped sobbing; he looked as if he could faint from joy right now. "In the Afterlife, I mean." Mand'alor drew his pistol so fast the guard didn't even see the bolt of red light hit him dead between his eyes. As the guard's head slumped to his icy chest, Mand'alor walked over to the terminal directly behind the guard's corpse. He entered the code key as Kelborn walked over.

"All guards have been eliminated, Mand'alor." Kelborn said as Mand'alor punched in the code key. As the terminal started rolling off data Mand'alor turned back to his second.

"Good, have some on the boys take care of the weapons. Scavenge the base for whatever you can, and take it back to the ship. The clans of Mandalor will rise from the ashes with a vengeance." Mand'alor said triumphantly. Kelborn nodded, and then turned to walk away when more alarm klaxons went off. Mand'alor turned back to the terminal to see a warning symbol on the screen. Under the words, it said, "**WARNING, EXPERIMENTAL WAR DROIDS REALEASED, WAR DROIDS ARE TRAGETING ALL ORGANICS AS HOSTILE!**" "Kelborn, evacuate the boys to this location.**" **Mand'alor said, bringing up a map and pointing to a large room that said, "**CRYO TESTING LABORATORY**."

"As you wish, Mand'alor." Kelborn said, bowing before dashing off.

"You two, Cassan and Nacacs, come over here, quickly!" Mand'alor said, waving over the two Mandalorians. The pair dashed over to their leader from their spot at the door. "I need you two to get to the ship and warn the others. If you don't hear back from me or Kelborn with in a full day, leave the planet and go back to Mandalore." He said quickly. He took something from his belt and handed it to Cassan. It was a cylindrical tube that was white with several buttons on it. "After that go to Courscant, Senatorial Residential Building #28,344 apartment number 117, and tell Mrs. Shan, I'm sorry, I didn't find him in time." Mand'alor said. He could only imagine the confused looks on these soldiers' faces as they listened to his instructions. They nodded and ran for the door. After they left, Mand'alor downloaded the data to his datapad and armor uplink. He shut down the terminal and ran for the Cryo lab as a hail of blue energy beams slammed into the wall where he just was. He sprinted down several corridors before reaching the door. The door slowly began to close and Mand'alor dived through, rolling with the impact.

"About time you got here, sir." Kelborn said. Mand'alor gave the Mandalorian equivalent of the middle finger to Kelborn as he stood. As Mand'alor observed the room, he noticed dozens of pods lying horizontal to the ground that contain beds.

"I'm assuming these pods flash freeze us for a specified amount of time, or until someone opens them." Mand'alor said to Kelborn.

"That seems to be the purpose, sir." Kelborn said. An artificial voice came over the intercom.

"**WARNING, CRYOGENICS LAB DOORS HAVE BEEN MAGNETICALLY SEALED. PASSCODES ARE REQUIRED TO ACCESS THE LABS."** The voice said. Mand'alor froze. He dashed to the doors and attempted to use the codes from the guard to open them. They didn't work at all.

"Stang, we're locked in! Cassan, do you read me?" Mand'alor said desperately, trying to contact the young Mandalorian. There was only static. For 2 hours the Mandalorian veterans attempt to open the doors, but nothing worked. "Gentlemen, it has been an honor serving with you, but I now must order you all too each get into one of the cryo pods. Hopefully someone will come back to get us, but we must wait out the lockdown. May your ancestors keep you safe." Mand'alor said. The Mandalorians replied in kind before going to their pods. Mand'alor slowly stepped into his pod, and watch the door close over the pod. He then felt a very cold sensation, and his eye lids became too heavy keep up. Before he drifted off, he swore he heard explosions in the background. Then he knew no more. Outside, Cassan and Nacacs stood waiting for a full day, afterwards they left the planet. They named it after their goal there, Resurrection. And for 1,000 years, Canderous Ordo, also called Mand'alor the Preserver, slept without disturbance…


	2. Chapter 1: Wake up and smell the Fire

9 months before the battle of Reach, 1000 years after Mand'alor the Preserver's disappearance from galactic history…

The first thing Mand'alor felt was an icy pain shooting through his armored body. As he opened his lips to scream, he found them stuck together by ice and his skin peeled away when his mouth opened. His movement was stiff as he tried to move, his eyes pounded as he opened them, his head felt like it was going to explode as every thought and action was sent through his nervous system to his brain. Mand'alor heard a snap-hiss, and a bright light filled his eyes, forcing him to shield them with his aching arm. He felt a hand on his left side, and he shook it off. The momentum caused him to roll off of the bed his was laying and hit the floor with a metallic thud. Pain shot through Mand'alor's body as he lay on the floor, panting hard.

"Easy there, you are in the care of friends." A filtered voice said. Mand'alor's vision cleared slightly. He saw a figure crouching over him in blue-silver-gray armor, and another standing just behind him in green-gray armor. Both suits of armor were Mandalorian.

"Are you Mandolorians?" Mand'alor asked his voice cracking. The one in blue nodded.

"Yes, Mand'alor, we follow you."He said. Mand'alor nodded, and passed out.

A few days later…

Mand'alor snapped awake, and his eyes scanning the room, only to snap shut at the bright light. He groaned in pain, his body felt like it had become someone's punching bag. He opened his eyes again, only a crack though, and to shield his eyes he put his hands in front of the light. As he saw his hands, he realized they were not incased in the armor of Mand'alor, but bare skin. He slowly looked around. He saw he was in a white room, and on the wall near the door, the Republic's insignia. He saw a pair of what looked like medical droids starring at a monitor. As he Mand'alor tried to sit up, his back burned with pain. The droids looked up at him and wheeled over to his side. They gently pushed Mand'alor back onto the bed.

"You must rush yourself, Mr. Ordo; you've just woken up from your sleep." One of the med droids said. Mand'alor blinked.

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

"We have your records. You are Mr. Canderous Ordo, also called Mand'alor the Preserver by you people, the Mandalorians. You fought at the battles of Cathar-"The med droid got no further.

"I know all of my battles; you don't have to tell me them." Mand'alor said. The door on the far side of the room opened with a hiss. Four pairs of feet walked in through the opened door. The first 2 wore the armor of Mandalorians. They were the ones that opened my cryo tube, thought Mand'alor. The other two, no, three wore robes. On clipped to their belts was a cylindrical tube. They were 2 humans and one Togruta. All of them were Jedi. Mand'alor chuckled as they approached. "Has the Jedi Council finally decided to end my life after 1000 years of sleeping?" Mand'alor asked sarcastically. One of the humans, with dark hair and black magenta robes, grinned. The two Mandalorians stopped about a foot away from the bed, and took off their helmets. They had the most uncanny resemblance, the kind that only twins had. They stood at attention and brought their forearms horizontal right in fronts of their chests, the Mandalorian salute. Mand'alor did the same, and a burning pain shot through his shoulder and arm. "I feel like a pack of mynocks ate me, threw me up, and put me back together again." Mand'alor said, groaning.

"It's just ice burn sir, happens when you go into cryo sleep with your armor." The Mandalorian in blue silver said.

"Enough of the chit chat, let's get onto business. You are Canderous Ordo, correct?" The other human Jedi asked. He wore white and cream robes, and he had a thick tan beard and mustache.

"Who wants to know?" Mand'alor said. The one in white rolled his eyes.

"I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi; this is my former padawan Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ashoka Tano. You've met Jango and Boba Fett I assume." He said pointing to each one as he said their name.

"Yes I have, and yes, I am Canderous Ordo. Now, I was having a very nice, long, peaceful nap until you woke me up, so what do want?" Canderous asked. Jango and Boba let out small chuckles. "And you two, at ease. No need to stand there like statues." Canderous said.

"Good. Now from what the Jedi archives say, you served alongside Jedi Knight Revan and the Jedi Exile Meetra Surik, is that correct?" Kenobi asked.

"Both of them were great warriors and leaders. I hope the Force takes them well." Canderous said.

"Well they have been taken well. Mand'alor you've been in that tube for a good thousand years." Jango said. Canderous blinked.

"What? That's impossible, not even the Gree even had that kind of power!" Canderous said in confusion.

"It wasn't any technology we had, or even knew of, sir. As far as we saw, they were different than our technology." Jango said.

"Well, where'd it come from? The Exchange certainly had interest in it, that's why me and my- Where's my men?" Canderous asked suddenly.

"We put them on our medical ship, the _Savior_. They are in the best care in our fleet." Skywalker said.

"As soon as they're healed, or I am, whichever comes first, I want to talk with my second, Kelborn." Canderous said.

"We can arrange that. After all you're only going to be here for the night." Tano said.

"Alright, now what do you want from me, Jedi?" He asked glaring at Kenobi.

"You're a military genius Mr. Ordo, and the Republic needs all of the genius's we can get. Since you've been asleep, we recently went to war with the CIS, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. They are focused on total Domination of the Republic and all of its systems. Recently, our Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine, was killed in the battle of Courscant, as well as Count Dooku and General Grievous, two of the CIS's primary leaders. Both the Republic and the CIS are in disarray, but the Republic is losing. We are losing in key systems, including the planet of Mandalore." Kenobi said. As he took a breath, Canderous stopped him.

"You've said enough. Now, I need an overview of the Republic's military status and war effort, which means I need some reading material. Also, I want the datapad that I was carrying on my armor when I was frozen; I downloaded data from the Exchange mainframe that I want to go over. And once I'm out of here I want to speak with my soldiers." Canderous said. The Jedi bowed.

"We'll ensure everything is funneled to you terminal." Kenobi said, motioning to a terminal that sat near his bed.

"Thank you. Now, go back to whatever you Jedi do these days." Canderous said. The three Jedi bowed and exited, leaving Jango and Boba next to Canderous's bed. Canderous smiled. "I see Mandalorian discipline has not faltered while I was away." He said. "You boys sit down. I have a few questions for you." Jango and Boba took seats in the hover chairs near the bed.

"What do you need sir?" Jango asked.

"Firstly, I want to know why in the galaxy you two look so alike. Jango, it's obvious you're older than Boba, so why do you like so similar?" Canderous asked. Boba spoke for the first time.

"My _father_ was selected to be the cloning template for the Republic's Grand Army. In return for job he did to get it, he got payment and, he cloned me as his son. I'm only 16; the clones themselves age faster than the average human." Boba said.

"Wait, wait, wait the Republic's army is comprised of clones?" Canderous asked. Jango nodded.

"The Senate didn't like the idea of raising an army from the regular people, they wouldn't be willing. Ten years before the start of the Clone Wars, that's what this war is called, I was called upon to do a job for Count Dooku. I didn't know at the time he was Sith, but I took the job. A few million credits in my pocket and a son seemed like payment enough." Jango said.

"Well, if Dooku was your employer, why did you turn against him?" Canderous asked.

"Simple: you can't hide from the Jedi Council. They stepped up their spy networks ever since the Battle of Naboo. They very nearly found me when I was working for Dooku." Jango said.

"I thought the Republic Intelligence Services did that." Canderous said.

"The Jedi used Force Sensitive people as spies. Not Jedi level sensitivity, but enough to discern whether or not a person is lying to them." Jango said.

"Good enough to interrogate, but not to fight?" Canderous asked. Jango nodded. "Interesting, so what was the job you took to get Boba here?" Canderous asked, motioning to Boba.

"I had to track down and eliminate the leader of a cult called the Bando Gora, as well as the cult itself." Jango said. He paused momentarily. "It wasn't easy; I had to go through some channels I've never gone through before." He said. He smiled as a memory came to mind. "There was one time where I had to find a Republic Senator, and he didn't even know where she was. A Republic Security Gunship asked me to release him." Jango smile brooded. "I did what they asked, and the Senator fell a good few miles down." Canderous grinned.

"Well, they didn't say where, did they?" He asked. Jango shook his head. The door opened, and a soldier in white armor came in. He handed Canderous two datapads, then exited.

"If you'll excuse me boys, I've got some reading to do." Canderous said. The pair nodded. They stood, gave Canderous the Mandalorian salute, and left. Canderous sighed as he picked up the first datapad, and began to read about the current situation of the galaxy.


	3. Chapter 2: Meetings and Promotions

Unknown system, January 2nd, 2552

Captain Jeremiah Vern of the UNSC _Winter's Bite_ yawned deeply. His ship had been dispatched to this system to find any and all planets that were habitable, in the case that the Covenant found Earth, and that humanity would need a new place to thrive. But, it was a, very, very, very boring assignment. Vern had been through 2 systems in the Orion Arm already, and he hadn't found any habitable planet. And at this point, he was dead tired. He stretched as the ship's A.I, Unending Winter, popped up in the holotank. Unending Winter was dressed in a heavy snowsuit and there appeared to be a blizzard in the background. Winter had for some very odd reason picked the _Winter's Bite_ as its owner ship, possibly for the name, or the modifications it had received. The _Bite_ had received an increased hanger bay, along for a dozen Longsword fighters to be stored on the ship, and the Mass Accelerator Cannon(MAC) had been upgraded to fire two shots with one charge.

"Captain, HIGHCOM is asking for a report." He said. Vern yawned once more.

"Send them the same report I sent them a few days ago." Vern said, as he stood. "I need to get some rest, Winter. First Officer Malcolm has the bridge." Vern said as he stepped through the door to the hall. He liked to be with the crew, so he had remodeled C deck to accommodate his quarters. Vern also liked to walk, so he walked the winding hallways down to C deck. He passed several officers and Marines on the way down, saying hello to all of them. He grinned as he saw an ODST without his helmet, and wearing aviator sunglasses came down the hall. Vern had a special greeting for this one. "How ya doin', Johnny Doe?" He asked, still grinning. Johnny Doe, aka the Rookie gave a toothy grin to his captain as he turned into the mess hall. For some very odd reason, the Rookie's file was heavily classified by the Office of Naval Intelligence, aka ONI. His name was among the classified pieces. As Rookie walked into the mess hall, he was greeted by the all too familiar bear hug by his friend, Eric Boor. Eric was the squad's heavy weapons expert, requiring his strength to lug around the Jackhammer rocket launchers. The huge African nearly killed Rookie as he squeezed tightly on his abdomen.

"Hey, Rookie my man, where ya been?" Eric asked. He saw that Rookie was making chopping motions with his hand. This was his way of saying "Stop, you're killing me here!" "Sorry pal, I didn't mean too." He said as he dropped Rookie to the floor. As Rookie bent over and started to breathe hard, Eric gave him two hard smacks on the back. Rookie was flattened to the floor by Eric's massive hands and hard hits. The whole mess hall laughed as Rookie got back to his feet. After he looked around, he gave an over exaggerated bow to the mess hall, and more laughter erupted as he went get his food. His squad was still laughing by the time he and Eric sat down.

"Oy, Eric, you and Rookie sure know how ta make a crowd laugh!" Douglas McLaughlin said. He was of Irish and Scottish descent, and the blood in his veins had fought the English back in the prime of his people. His Irish side was more prominent, and thus his o's were more exaggerated. He was also a close range specialist in combat. He still had at least three energy swords from the Elites he had killed.

"At least they don't drink all the vodka!" Said Nikolai Peskivi, angrily. He was, of course of Russian descent, and his love of vodka came with it. Douglas was a wee bit of a joker, and he loved messing with Nikolai. Nikolai preferred to drown his enemies in lead, making him the SAW carrier of the squad.

"Life isn't about vodka my friend; you need to check out the girls some time." Said Mike Larkin. He was Australian, and he was the ladies' man aboard the _Winter's Bite_. The only thing he loved more than being an ODST was being laid. He was the squad's grenadier.

"The vodka enhances the personality, I need it." Nikolai said.

"As well as the breath." Eric said to Rookie. Everyone except for Nikolai burst into laughter.

"If you were not so big, my African friend, I would kill you." Nikolai said.

"Now now boy settle down." Came the female voice of Hailey Temple, the squad medic. No one messed with her, even Mike sensed that she could castrate him if she wanted.

"Just what we needed." Douglas said. "A pretty lass to settle the fight between men." He said.

"Hey guys!" One of the other ODSTs called from another table. "Chef has enough for seconds!" He called. His squad dashed over to the line. The entire squad looked at their trays. They hadn't touched their food yet. Nikolai leaned forward.

"Gentleman, and lady, I propose we do the one thing that we do better than eating, drinking, fighting, or in Mike's case, sleeping around. I propose, THAT WE EAT LIKE IT'S OUR LAST MEAL!" Nikolai said.

"HOORAH!" Cried everyone; except Rookie who remained mute. They tore into their food like rabid animals, and in half a minute they stood back in the lunch line, dripping some assortment of food, except for Hailey. They were one of the single most close nit groups in the ODSTs. That was going to change.

Mandalor system…

General Grievous of the Confederation of Independent Systems paced the bridge of the _Wrath of the Warlord_. Since the _Invisible Hand_ was destroyed, this ship would have to do. He was stalking the bridge, waiting for three very important people to arrive. The door hissed open, and a B1 Battle Droid walked in.

"General?" The droid asked.

"What?" Grievous asked sharply.

"They are all here." The droid said. Grievous stopped pacing.

"Bring them to the bridge." He said.

"Rodger Rodger." Came the typical monotone response. The droid marched off. After several turbolift rides, it arrived at the hanger bay. "You are required to come to the bridge." The droid said to the three guests.

"Ah, finally, I get to see the face of the famed general." One of the three said. He had red and black skin with yellow eyes, and horns coming out of his head. His companion had yellow and black skin, with the same eyes and horns. The third was different. She had pale white skin, almost powder white with black eyes, and a bald head.

"My old friend finally wants to see me." She said. She had a high raspy voice, as if though grated on stone. The droid led all three of them up to the bridge where Grievous had restarted his pacing.

"Ah, Ventress, it is good to see such an old… ally." He said slowly. He turned to the other two. He recognized the red one.

"The former apprentice of our late master, back from the dead." Grievous said, nodding to the red one. "And you recently lost control of the planet Mandalore, how sad, Darth Maul." He said the word _Darth_ with contempt.

"The Death Watch remains firmly with me, General Grievous, and I assure you, they are worth at least ten battle droids." Maul said. Grievous turned his attention to the last one, the yellow and black one.

"I have not heard of you, yet." Grievous said, pointing a finger at him.

"I am Savage Opress, and I am brother and apprentice to Maul." He said, motioning to his brother.

"An interesting pair." Ventress said. She turned back to Grievous. "Now, tell us the real reason we are here, Grievous. I know it was not simply to catch up on old times." She said, glaring at Grievous.

"With Darth Sidious and Count Dooku dead, I need others to aid me lead the droid armies." Grievous said. Ventress raised an eyebrow.

"You, asking for help? I doubt it." Ventress said scornfully. Grievous glared at her.

"I could have had you eliminated in that hanger." Grievous said.

"I doubt you could have." Ventress said.

"I sense that Grievous is not lying." Maul said.

"How can you sense it, but I cannot?" Ventress asked.

"I was trained by the master of Count Dooku as an assassin and as an interrogator. I have been trained to do such things." Maul said. Ventress snarled, and turned back to Grievous.

"I will ally with you, Grievous. But one wrong move and I will not hesitate to tear every organ you have left out of your body." Ventress said, her voice dripping with venom. Grievous laughed.

"I doubt you could, even if you wanted to." Grievous said.

"So, General, what is our first course of action?' Maul asked. He leapt nimbly into the captain's chair, and rested on leg on the arm of it.

"We are going to Kaleesh. My people are known as brutal warriors, and the Separatists could use their expertise." Grievous said. The ship abruptly moved beneath their feet as the _Warlord_ entered hyperspace.

"And how long will it take to convince them?" Maul asked.

"It will not take long; I already have two thirds of the population under my thumb." Grievous said.

"You could have warned us about the sudden jump to hyperspace." Ventress snarled.

"That would take the fun out of it." Grievous said. "We will be taking several different stops on our way to the Kaleesh system, in order to avoid the Republic's patrols." Grievous said. The door opened, and several waiting droids stepped through. "These droids will take you to your quarters, I hope they are… enjoyable." Grievous said. Maul and Savage immediately began to walk with the droids, talking amongst themselves. Ventress stayed behind.

"What is the real reason behind this?" She asked. Grievous stepped closer to her.

"There have been rumors going around, rumors my spies have heard. They say that the Jedi found the old Mand'alor." He said.

"Jaster Mereel? I thought he had fallen in battle." Ventress said.

"Not him." Grievous said. "Did you know that the original mask of Mand'alor was never found after the disappearance of Mand'alor the Preserver?" He asked. Ventress shook his head. "The last Mand'alor took a group of his men to an unknown planet with a mercenary base on it. Only 2 of his men returned, the rest along with him, were in stasis for 1000 years." Grievous said.

"And you suppose they found him?" Ventress asked.

"Yes. Now, go to your quarters, we have much to discuss in the coming days." Grievous said. Ventress slowly went with her droid. Grievous chuckled to himself. "Now, the true war begins." He said.

2 days later…

Captain Vern yawned deeply, again. They had combed this system clean, and found no planet habitable. He had sent the unfortunate results to HIGHCOM, and he was just waiting to get the all clear to move into another system.

"This is pointless." He said aloud.

"Sir?" The navigations officer asked.

"I said this is pointless. We've been doing this crap for 2 months straight, and we have found no results that HIGHCOM would be pleased with." Vern said.

"With all due respect sir, but that is incorrect." The nav officer said.

"Explain your logic to me." Vern said. The nav officer pulled up the scan results of each of the planets.

"These planets, while not habitable, could be extracted for resources. Planet Omega-Delta 2 has significant deposits of uranium and manganese. Omega-Delta 3 has a good supply of tungsten and titanium. Even if we fail to find a habitable planet sir, we have plenty of resource planets." The nav officer said.

"I understand your logic, but that's not why we are out here. We are looking for another base of operations, not resources." Vern said. All the sudden, the monitoring station began to beep.

"Sir, we have multiple Slipspace ruptures 12,000 kilometers away!" The monitoring officer said.

"Covenant?" Vern asked.

"No sir, they're UNSC." The officer replied back.

"On main viewscreen, now." Vern said. The screen fizzed to life and the bridge observed as 3 UNSC frigates, similar to the _Winter's Bite_. After that 4 mining vessels followed as well as… "A repair and refit station?" Vern said surprised.

"Incoming communication coming in from UNSC frigate _Spring's Storm_." The Comns officer said.

"Put it through." Vern said. An image of a black man in the usual white uniform of the UNSC Navy appeared on the main viewscreen.

"Captain Jeremiah Vern I presume?" The man asked.

"Yes." Vern asked.

"Your ship is required to dock with the repair and refit station UNSC _Blacksmith_, for repairs and orders." The man said. The screen went black. An hour later, Vern walked through the halls of the _Blacksmith_ to the CO's office. He had absolutely no idea why the UNSC would send a task force like this to this particular system. He reached the door of the CO and rapped on the door.

"Enter." A voice said from inside. The door slide opened and saw a white man in the uniform of ONI.

"Captain Jeremiah Vern, reporting for duty." Vern said, saluting.

"At ease Captain." The ONI officer said. Vern stood at ease. "Do you know why you have been called here, Captain?" The ONI officer asked.

"Not at all sir." Vern said.

"You are here because you have been exploring the systems of the Orion Arm looking for habitable planets. Instead you have been finding uninhabitable resources planets. ONI has decided that is all the UNSC needs right now." The officer said. "ONI has put together a task force to continue exploring the Orion Arm for more habitable planets, but we will be mining them as well. That is why you are in this office." The ONI officer pulled from his desk two things: a small, black box, and a Sweet Williams cigar pack. "Captain Vern, you are being promoted." The officer said nonchalantly. Vern blinked.

"I beg your pardon sir?" Vern asked.

"You are being promoted to lead this task force." The officer said. He pushed forward the box and opened. He pulled out a cigar a lit it, taking a puff on it.

"But there are surely better captains than I to lead this sir. I've been away from combat for nearly 6 months." Vern said.

"You served with Admiral Preston Cole during the Harvest campaign, you fought at the Siege of Madrigal, and you fought at the battle of Arcadia, taking out at least two Covenant ships per engagement. I say you're good enough. Plus you've been out here for 2 months doing this; you would know which planets to mine. Name me two of the planets that you have discovered that have resources on them." The ONI officer said. Vern thought for a moment, then he remembered what his nav officer had said.

"My navigations officer brought up planets Omega-Delta 2 and 3. Omega-Delta 2 has high reserves of uranium and manganese, and Omega-Delta 3 has high titanium and tungsten reserves." Vern said. The ONI officer nodded approvingly.

"Your task force is spread out across three systems, this one, and the last two you've explored. This operation is codenamed _High Demand_, and it will cover any and all systems worth mining. HIGHCOM will expect weekly reports, and you will soon receive a group of scout ships for further exploration. Any questions?" The ONI officer looked expectantly at Vern.

"Yessir, will the ships under my command receive the same modifications as my ship?" Vern asked. The officer looked at a datapad on his desk.

"The _Spring's Storm, Summer's Drought, _and the _Autumn's Fall_ have all been refitted to the same specs as the _Winter's Bite,_ yes." He said nodding.

"That's all sir." Vern said.

"Then you are dismissed, Admiral Vern." The officer said. Vern picked up the box and turned to go. But as he reached the door, the officer called back to him

"Wait, there's one other thing." The ONI officer said. Vern turned. The officer gave him a datapad. "ONI wants to keep this under wraps, but it will be impossible, but one of SPARTAN IIIs has been removed from her company to work as a Lone Wolf. She is going to be a part of your group. Take good care of her." The ONI officer said. Vern nodded numbly and walked out. He activated the pad as soon as he was outside of the door. It read" _**Classified, for Admiral Jeremiah Vern's eyes only."**_ The first thing it read was, SPARTAN III-B312, Jane, referred to by superiors as a "Lone Wolf", Jane does not lack the will to be a team player. However, in times where stealth is key, Jane will be the first to volunteer. Jane also does not lack the will to bond with other SPARTANs as well as non SPARTAN personnel, such as Marines, Army soldiers, civilians, or even the ODSTs… At this point, Vern ran into someone, knocking the datapad from his hand. He rubbed his head and looked up to see what he had hit that was so hard. His jaw dropped, when he noticed the woman he had run into. She wore the power armor that the G-III SPARTANs wore, as well as the helmet. She turned around.

"Sorry, Admiral." Jane said. She bent down and handed the datapad back to Vern.

"No need, to apologize, I wasn't looking where I was going." Vern said quickly. Jane had black hair that curved down around her head, and a strong pointed jaw. "So, you are the SPARTAN the ONI spook told me about." Vern said.

"That would be correct." Jane said.

"Walk with me." Vern said. He moved to Jane's right and began to walk back to the _Bite_. Jane slowed from her usual pace so he wouldn't be jogging to stay next to her. "I've been reading your file, and I have 2 questions regarding the ODSTs on the ship." Vern said.

"Ask away sir." Jane said, rolling her eyes. She had a feeling he'd been asking her to not mess with them.

"Firstly, how many ODTSs do you think will challenge you to a fight, and secondly, how many do you think will try to hit on you?" Vern said, grinning from ear to ear. Jane froze, and burst into loud laughter.

"About all of them sir." Jane said after she had recovered from her laughing fit.

"That would be a good estimate." Vern said. "Now, is there any place you'd like to sleep on the ship?" He asked

"I've always like the Observation Deck." Jane said thoughtfully.

"Would you be willing to share with an ODST?" Vern asked. Jane frowned.

"Why does an ODST sleep on the Observation Deck?" Jane asked.

"Well, this one is different. His file is more heavily redacted than yours is, and he doesn't talk much. he does a whole lot of gestures and the like." Vern said.

"Interesting, you sure he doesn't suffer from PDST?" Jane asked.

"I'm positive, hell he still has his vocal cords in place." Vern said.

"Hm, I'll sure share with him, but what is his name?" Jane asked.

"We just call him Rookie." Vern said.

"Is his name redacted?" Jane said.

"His whole personal life is redacted!"Vern said. They turned into the docking tube to the _Bite_.

"I'll see what I can pull from him, so yes I will share."Jane said.

"Good. Well… welcome to the _Winter's Bite_, Spartan." Vern said as they reached the airlock.

"It's good to be aboard." Jane said.

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update guys, I've been toying around with a few ideas, and this seemed to be the best one. I did say we'd be seeing Six in this fanfiction, but since we haven't seen her face before, I decided to model her off the default female character from the Mass Effect series. I'll be posting a few more chapters regarding the UNSC and the Separatists before I move back to Mand'alor's POV. I will tell you right now, Mand'alor's going to turn into the Star Wars version of Master Chief really quick. Also, be ready to see some adjustments to the Clone's arsenal, particularly the armor. It's **_**plastic**_** for crying out loud, I mean come on, how cheap is the Republic? Anyways guys thank you for reading, and this is InnocentBlaze686, burning out.**


	4. Chapter 4: Peaceful talks turned bad

Omega-Delta system, 2 weeks later…

1400…

**Disclaimer: I do not own the name Ishimura. That name is the property of Visceral Games.**

"Initiate mining procedure Bravo-Indigo-Gamma." The mining foreman said from the bridge of the UNSC mining vessel _Ishimura. _A bright red laser shot from the prow of the vessel, drilling a whole in Omega-Delta 4. This particular mining op was searching for a high deposit of plutonium. Raw plutonium was rare to come by these days, and if utilized properly, it could make a nuclear bomb strong enough to annihilate a star. From the UNSC frigate _Winter's Bite_, Vern watched with increased concern as the laser drilled into the surface of the planet. One wrong move and the whole planet would be a giant space nuke.

"Concerned, Admiral?" Jane said from behind Vern.

"Greatly; one wrong twitch of the finger, and there goes a whole fleet, as well as a good source of resources." Vern said.

"Then let's hope they have steady hands." Jane said. Vern nodded. The laser continued to cut down on to the planet below. The mining foreman watched the screen in front of him, very carefully.

"Halt the laser, immediately!" The foreman shouted. The laser ceased to exist. "Status on the entry hole?" He barked.

"One shot, one kill sir." The monitoring officer reported. "Mining ops can start shortly." The foreman breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait a few hours for the area to settle, and then send down probes Delta 1-4." The foreman said. Vern heard the entire conversation through his neural lace. He sighed with relief as he heard the all clear.

"We live for another day." Vern said. He turned to Jane. "Ever played chess?" He asked. Jane nodded. "Well I'm a bit rusty, so let's see how well we do." Vern said. He and Jane walked to his quarters, pulled out the chess board and pieces, and began a long game of chess.

Separatist warship _Wrath of the Warlord_…

Grievous sat in his command chair, staring at the datapad brought to him. The Kaleesh had bolstered the Separatists by several million, and the Nightsisters and their Iridonian servants had done the same. But, he was angered by the reports of the losses on Kashyyyk. The Wookies had been more resourceful than he had expected, and they had been devastating the droid forces in their wroshyr forests. The door behind him hissed open, and Savage walked in.

"Grievous." Savage said simply.

"What do you want, Iridonian?" Grievous snarled.

"Merely walking the ship." Savage said.

"Then walk away from my bridge." Grievous snapped.

"Such rage towards something so little." Savage said. He fully intended to push Grievous' buttons.

"It is not rage towards the damned Wookies." Grievous snarled.

"A group of walking carpets beating such a feared and infamous general? I do not believe it." Savage said. Grievous jumped to his feet, and drew his lightsabers.

"Would you like to test my very little patience? Or would you like to walk away like the coward you are?" Grievous said. Savage smiled.

"I am merely implying, dear general that you should not let mere underlings do the tasks reserved for the leader." Savage said. Grievous cocked his head. He deactivated his lightsabers.

"Go on." He said slowly.

"The Wookies are a proud race. While not warlike, they make fine warriors to any army. Their strength and agility brings any force a much needed boost in urban or jungle warfare. Thus, they are one of the most difficult forces every to be fought. Why would you let someone who has less understanding of these furbags fight them?" Savage asked. Grievous thought for a moment.

"Bring Ventress and Maul in here. We need to have a war council." Grievous said. Savage nodded and walked out. "B-9821, contact the Kaleesh warlords and the Nightsister witches. Tell them they are needed on the bridge." Grievous said.

"Rodger Rodger." The droid replied in the monotone voice.

20 minutes later, 12 leaders stood on the bridge of the _Warlord_. Grievous nodded to Savage, Ventress, and Maul as they arrived.

"Let this council of war begin." Grievous said as they stood around the holoprojector. An image of Kashyyyk appeared. "This is Kashyyyk, a forest planet on one of the most important hyper lanes in our galaxy." Grievous began. "The planets inhabitants are the Wookies, a proud tree dwelling race known for their wisdom and prowess in combat. They defy the CIS, and stand with the Republic." Grievous said, spitting at the last sentence. "Since the failed siege of Coruscant, I have devoted a good portion of the droid armies to this planet. I have neglected fighting on this planet for far too long. Our mission is to make the Wookies of Kashyyyk, watch their beloved forests burn to a crisp." Grievous said. The leaders assembled applauded, some of the Kaleesh roared their approval. "Gather your warriors my friends, for in a week's time, we will all have Wookiee carpets!" Grievous said, earning another round of applause. An hour later, Grievous, Ventress, Maul, and Savage all stood on the bridge again.

"Are we really going to share power with them?" Maul asked.

"They will soon become, 'martyrs to the cause'." Grievous said sarcastically. They all smiled.

"General, all the warlords have departed." One of the droids called.

"Commence the jump to hyperspace." Grievous said. A few moments later, the _Warlord_ jumped to hyperspace, shooting towards Kashyyyk. But, the Force had another plan for it… About an hour later, the hyperdrive malfunctioned, and sent the _Warlord_ shooting ten times faster than hyperspeed. The _Warlord_ shot past Kashyyyk, and sped away from the known galaxy. It came to rest it unexplored space, in another galaxy, in another system called Omega Delta by those who mined its planets. And so, another war began, but at the time, it was not known until a short two hours later when blood was spilt by a dark force…

Omega Delta system, January 11th, 2552…

1350…

Vern sat at his chair on the bridge of the _Winter's Bite_ and sipped coffee. One of the first things he did for his task force was that he ordered coffee for the whole task force; real coffee, not the instant BS the UNSC usually gave its finest. He leaned back and sighed as he felt the warm, tasty liquid run down his throat. The nav officer, First Officer Malcolm Hall turned and smiled.

"Enjoying a good, real cup of Joe sir?" He asked.

"Like hell I am." Vern said. Hall nodded and took a sip of his own coffee. He looked thoughtfully the cup.

"I still think my family grew the beans for this." He said. Hall's family owned a farm area where they grew coffee beans. It was on one of the tropical planets, Vern didn't know.

"Whatever you say, Hall." Vern said.

"No, I'm serious sir, see-"He was cut off by the monitoring officer.

"Sir, energy spike at the edge of the system, it's not Covenant or UNSC." He said urgently.

"On main viewscreen, now." Vern barked. A long, bulbous ship snapped into existence, and slowly decelerated.

"The hell is that?" Hall asked.

"Whatever it is, it's not known. Comns, get me a fleet wide communication, ASAP." Vern said quickly.

"Yes sir, comn channel is up and ready." The officer said. Vern stood and stepped forward.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the UNSC task force _High Demand_, we have reports that an unknown ship has just entered our space." Vern took a breath. "We do not know if they are friendly or not, but we must remember our first contact with the Covenant." Vern took another breath. "Because of this, I am issuing the Cole Protocol, but we will not go down without a fight. All ships; beat to quarters." The entire task force launched into a flurry of activity. Marines and ODSTs armored up, testing their weapons, making sure that they wouldn't jam in the middle of combat. Navy personnel rushed to their quarters, all of them grabbing their M6D Magnums before rushing off to their stations. As Rookie's squad suited up, Jane walked in. Rookie, who was always the fastest at getting his armor on, gave Jane the smile gesture. Eric, however, glared at her.

"What do you want, Spartan?" He asked.

"Captain's assigned me to your squad for this. If we initiate peaceful contact, we'll be with the Admiral in the negotiations room." Jane said ignoring all their stares she was getting.

"That's alright; it'll be nice to have another pretty lady with us." Mike said, smiling.

"You're not getting into my pants, lover boy." Jane said. Mike swore as he pulled on his boots, earning him a shower of laughter from his squad. After Mike had his suit secured, the group dashed off to the hanger.

Aboard the _Wrath of the Warlord_…

"Status report, what just happened?" Grievous yelled at the droid.

"The hyperdrive malfunctioned, it shot us far off course." The droid said.

"How far?" Ventress hissed.

"A full galaxy away." The droid said.

"That can't be right, check your optics." Another droid said.

"Hey you need your optics checked!" The first retorted. Grievous roared and backhanded the droid's head off.

"That's-that's impossible, a hyperdrive can't do that!" Ventress stammered.

"General, several unidentified ships towards the middle of the system." Another droid said.

"Grievous, we may not be at Kashyyyk, but we can use this as an opportunity." Maul said.

"How do we do that?" Grievous snapped.

"We need allies in our war, and we could gain more soldiers to throw into the fray." Maul said simply. "Added that the Confederacy is slowly losing resources, and that the Republic is growing ever stronger, and we will soon be on our defensive." Maul said.

"Enough. Contact the lead ship immediately!" Grievous said.

"Rodger Rodger."

"Sir, we're being hailed by the unidentified vessel!" The Comns officer said. The bridge froze.

"Answer the hail, audio only." Vern said. A crackle of static later, a cold, metallic voice spoke through the speakers.

"Greetings to the unidentified vessels, I am General Grievous of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. My ship's hyperdrive has malfunctioned, leading us to this system." The voice grated through. Vern spoke up.

"To General Grievous of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, my name is Admiral Jeremiah Vern of the United Nations Space Command, commander of UNSC task force _High Demand_. You are trespassing on UNSC space, please power down your weapons, and we will do the same to initiate peaceful talks." Vern said.

"How dare he!" Grievous snarled to his comrades. "He orders me to power down my weapons! I think not!" Grievous turned back to the speaker. "Admiral, how am I to trust you that you will power down your weapons and allow my representatives peace?" Grievous said back.

"Is this guy serious?" Vern asked, turning off the microphone.

"I would believe so sir. I think he thinks that his position in his government gives him leverage." Hall said.

"Not in this galaxy he doesn't." Vern said. He turned the mic back on. "General, you have my every assurance that our weapons will be powered down, and your representatives will be given peace. But, my men will shoot them if they attack any UNSC personnel. Am I clear?"

"Does he really think that his men can kill Sith?" Ventress laughed.

"Wait a moment. Admiral, I will send my representatives to your ship, with a bodyguard for added protection. I will move my ship closer as to allow my representatives swift passage to your ship." Grievous said, and cut the connection.

"An escort? Do they really think we'll shoot them?" Vern asked.

"I guess so sir." Hall said, shrugging.

"Get me the Spartan." Vern said. A crackle of static later, Jane's voice came through.

"Yes Admiral?" She asked.

"We're going to talk with these guys. Get your squad up to the bridge, ASAP." Vern said.

"Copy that. You think these guys will be creepier than the Covenant?" Jane asked.

"I hope not! The Covenant's ugly enough as it is, we don't need more uglies in our galaxy!" Vern said. Jane chuckled.

2 hours later

Aboard the CIS shuttle, en route to the _Winter's Bite_…

"So what do you think we'll encounter with these beings?" Ventress asked.

"The preliminary scans indicated they had 2 meter thick armor that could withstand a good portion of heavy turbolaser fire. However, they have no shields, so our bombers could bombard them mercilessly. They also seem to have a single, prow mounted weapon. It's unknown as to what technology they use, so, it could be a heavy turbolaser for all we know." Maul said.

"We'll find out soon enough. I'm surprised that these beings speak even a rugged form of Basic." Savage said.

"Mistress, we are now landing." The RX series pilot droid called from the cockpit. As Ventress, Maul, and Savage stood, so did their warriors. Ventress had brought 4 of her Nightsisters, trained by her. Maul had brought 4 of his Death Watch, and Savage had brought 4 of his Iridonians, also trained by him. The other 2 groups of warriors that they had brought were their MagnaGuards and the BX series assassin droids. This was to show the might of the CIS.

"How much longer sir?" Jane asked. "My feet are getting sleepy."

"Winter, what's the representatives' location?" Vern asked the ship's AI.

"Approximately two minutes away sir, they are closing on our hanger." Unending Winter replied.

"Brilliant." Jane hissed.

"Relax, it won't be that long." Vern said. He looked around the hanger. With him and Jane were several squads of Marines, and 20 ODSTs, as well as several bridge officers. Vern looked at Rookie, who met his gaze, nodded, and gave the smile gesture. Vern smiled back and turned to face the front of the hanger, just as the shuttle came through. It had tall dorsal fin on top, and the bottom was rounded like a fish belly. Two pairs of thin landing legs protruded from the bottom, and it spun around and landed. An inverted ramp slide from a slot on the shuttle, and the doors opened directly above it. Several things marched out of it, and they vaguely looked like…

"Are those robots?" Jane asked.

"I think so." Vern replied. The robots were about 2 meters in height, and they carried staffs. They wore cloaks over their shoulders, and they had bright red eyes. Behind them came smaller robots of average human height, with white eyes and black body coloring. After that came the organics. Four humans, two male two female, marched out wearing combat armor and what looked like a jetpack on their backs. Behind them came four pale, bald women, wearing dark clothing, and had tubes about half a foot long at their belts. But the ones behind them were more bizarre. Four males walked out, wearing medium body armor. They had pale green and black skin, with yellow eyes. The most interesting part was that they had…

"Are those horns sticking out of their heads?" Jane asked, alarmed.

"I think so." Vern said again. The last three were obviously the representatives. One was similar to the women seen earlier, except she carried herself with far more authority. The other two were similar to the horned humanoids seen earlier. One had red and black skin, and the other had an olive-drab green skin. As they approached, Jane shouted.

"VIPs on deck. Attention!" She shouted. Every Marine, ODST, and officer in the hanger stood at immediate attention. The bodyguards stopped, but the representatives moved on. They calmly walked over to Vern and they bowed. He returned the bow.

"Greetings, I am Admiral Jeremiah Vern of the UNSC vessel _Winter's Bite_, and commander of UNSC task force _High Demand_." Vern said.

"I am Asajj Ventress, and these are my associates, Darth Maul, and Savage Oppress. We represent the Confederacy of Independent Systems." Ventress said.

"It is a pleasure to have such guests aboard." Vern said.

"And it is a pleasure to be aboard this interesting vessel." Maul said, speaking up.

"Shall we move someplace more, civil for the negotiations?" Vern asked. They nodded. Jane, Rookie and his squad moved with Vern and the representatives, as well as the smaller robots to the conference room. As they walked the halls, personnel not in the hallway stepped to the side a saluted them. They all gave the newcomers the strangest look, and then continued on their way. After several minutes of walking, they arrived at the conference room. The room was circular with a round table in the center. Vern took his seat opposite to his three guests.

"Thank you for accommodating us, Admiral." Maul said.

"To be honest we nearly destroyed your ship." Vern said. Ventress furrowed her forehead.

"Why?" She asked. Vern looked at Jane, then to Rookie and his squad.

"Twenty-three years ago we came into contact with a group of alien races called the Covenant. They hijacked several of our merchant ships before attacking one of our outer colonies: Harvest." In the middle of the table, a hologram of Harvest came up. Then, several ships moved in, and fired bright, lasers at the planets surfaced. "Through a process called glassing, the reduced Harvest to a radioactive wasteland. A wasteland for which we fought and bled for five years. Then, they systematically began wiping out humanity, through sheer numbers and technology." The hologram showed worlds being burned by hundreds of ships, and land battles being fought and won by the aliens. "My task is to find resources for the war, so that we may possible have enough should the Covenant find Earth." Vern said.

"Earth is your homeworld?" Maul asked.

"Yes, and it's the most heavily fortified place in Human space." Vern said.

"The CIS would be willing to aid in your war effort, if you aid in ours." Ventress said. Vern's eyes narrowed.

"Humanity's resources are spread thin, and you ask for us to enter another war?" Vern asked, rage filling his body. Ventress felt the rage through the Force, and she knew she had slipped up. "You ask us to send more of our daughters and sons into another meat grinder? Have you no sense of honor? Negotiations are over!" Vern snapped. Ventress starred daggers at Vern, while Maul and Savage stood and bowed. The robots shifted their weapons at Jane and the ODSTs, and they did the same. Ventress stood and left without a word.

"Ventress that was rather rash of you in there." Maul said. They were in the hanger, and all the Marines and ODSTs had weapons ready.

"Silence Maul." Ventress hissed.

"Who said that we were to accept their help, rather than take it?" Savage asked suddenly. Maul and Ventress stopped in their tracks.

"Indeed." Maul said. He drew his lightsabers.

"Let us be true Sith." Ventress said. She drew her blades.

"By the blood of our enemies shall we have victory." Savage said. He drew his double bladed lightsaber. Ventress activated her comn link to Grievous.

"General, peaceful negotiations have failed, we are now resorting to more… drastic measures." Ventress said. The bodyguards all drew their weapons.

Grievous slowly began to laugh maniacally at the sound of Ventress' voice. "Power to weapons and shields, launched all fighters, and send boarding pods at those ships. They will regret the day they defied me!" He cackled.

Ventress turned to the UNSC forces.

"If you reject our help," Ventress began as she activated her lightsabers, "Then we shall take it by force!" She screamed. She charged forward, as did her soldiers, the Nightsisters screaming like banshees.

Rookie raised his M7S sub-machine gun, and pulled down the trigger, as he launched 60 hypersonic rounds at the charging enemy. They front three miraculously _deflected_ all of them. As he reached for another mag, the green horned being knocked him down. He raised his red blade over his head and roared as he brought it down. Only to be knocked to the floor himself by McLaughlin.

"Rookie, take these."He yelled as he tossed two Energy Swords to him. As Rookie activated them, he saw that the blades were a light shade of black, unlike the customary blue he usually saw. He turned to see the white humanoid barreling down on him. He raised his blades and met her charge. And the UNSC and CIS engulfed themselves in yet another war…


	5. Chapter 5: A squad killed, an Enemy made

**Author's note: Hey guys, Innocentblaze686 here, and I wanted to address a review on the last chapter. I hope that the particular guest does in fact know that the bullets the USNC uses are depleted uranium. The heat discharged by the lightsabers energizes the uranium and send it bouncing off the walls. And I admit to being wrong about the dating, I was otherwise distracted at that time. Now, on to war!**

Vern sat and sipped his coffee. He understood that he had just pissed off another galactic- possibly a power not from this galaxy. He got, that, and he also understood that his superiors might be pissed also. He didn't care, because that woman, or witch, whatever she was, had the gall to come onto his ship, and demand things of him. Jane shifted nervously next to him, glancing at him every few moments.

"Admiral, incoming communication from the hanger where our guests are; it's from one of our Marines." Unending Winter said.

"Put it through." Vern said. A crackle of static later, the terrified voice of a Marine Corporal came through.

"Sir, the representatives went hostile! They have some weird kind of energy sword, and their bodyguards are shooting lasers! We need more UAAHHHHAG!" The line was cut short. Jane moved quickly, and dashed out of the bridge.

"Winter, send all available personnel to the hanger, but divert personnel to all key decks. Launch all Longswords at the enemy ship, spin up the MAC cannon, and prep all Archer missile pods for launch. Open fleet wide communications." Vern said. The words spit out of his mouth like bullets out of machine gun, yet his bridge officers got ever word.

"Communication channel is open, Admiral." The comns officer said.

"MAC at 33%, and rising." Hall said.

"To all UNSC personnel, the unknowns, now identified as the CIS, have launched an attack on the _Winter's Bite_. Spin up all MAC cannons, prep your Archers, and launch all the Longswords you have. Admiral Vern, out."

"Move your arse, Rookie!" McLaughlin cried as Rookie barley deflected another blow from Ventress. Rookie primed a grenade and tossed it at one of the witches, and sprinted down the corridor as Peskivi let loose a torrent of bullets. The depleted uranium tore into the robots bull rushing them, turning them into scrap heaps. The explosion from the grenade tore off the arms of two of the witches, and one of the armored soldiers got hit in his jetpack. It threw him around like a rag doll and rammed him into a wall, breaking his neck and spine, killing him. As Rookie sprinted down the hall, he reloaded his SMG. He backpedaled down the hall as he fired his gun at the advancing enemy. Savage put on a burst of speed and bull rushed Rookie. Rookie pulled out one of the energy swords, the black blade snapping into existence. He blocked one blow from the hulking alien, and thrust the sword forward. Savage stepped back, and Rookie ran after his squad. Savage put out his hand, and channeled the force, pulling Rookie back. Rookie flew backwards, knowing was about to meet Death.

As his energy shields touched the blade, they snapped, creating a field of energy. It threw Rookie all the way down the hall, which landed on his knees. Not questioning what had just happened, Rookie got up and ran. He turned the corner and was thrown forward by an explosive ripping sound, as something tore through 2 meters of Grade A Titanium. Rookie turned to see a pod sticking out of the wall, and soon, it deposited several tan colored robots. Rookie primed his second grenade, threw it, and ran for his life. A few minutes and close encounters later, Rookie arrived at the mess hall, which had become the center of combat. The ship shook as the MAC fired, but the fight raged on. Rookie turned to see one of the tall, gray robots with red eyes staring down at him. The thing raised its staff, the ends now crackling with purple electricity, and stabbed down. Rookie drew both of his swords, and deflected it, and he swiped at the robot. He clipped it, searing off a portion of its armor. It didn't even notice as it swung again, hitting Rookie in the thigh. The force physically hurt Rookie, but the electricity surged into his armor, making it faster and more effective. Rookie's shields doubled, and his motor systems operated at higher efficiency. Rookie grinned under his helmet, and stabbed forward with one sword, and cutting with the other. The stab caught the robot in the stomach; the cut took off his head. Rookie stepped back to admire his handiwork, but the machine swung again at him. It became more ferocious in its attacks, and Rookie found himself backpedaling. In a desperate attempt, he stabbed into the robot's chest, and, to his surprise, he felt its weight sag against his arm. Before it could tumble onto him, Rookie pulled back. Seeing no enemies within a few meter radius, Rookie reloaded his SMG and opened up.

"That's the way to do it, laddie! Mow 'em all down!" McLaughlin called out. He cackled in mad delight as a robot exploded as his shotgun ripped through it. Then, the ship shook, and there was a terrible, grinding noise, and the whole world went black.

Jedi Master Yoda was in a meeting with Canderous Ordo, Masters Kenobi, Windu, and Skywalker, and several clone commanders, when he fell to his knees, grunting.

"Master Yoda, what is the matter?" Skywalker asked, alarmed. He took a step forward, but Canderous blocked him.

"Leave him. Revan did this when I found the Mask." He said. A few moments later, Yoda stood.

"Something dark, The Force spoke to me. Showed much dark, evil, and death it did. Red blades flashing, screams, explosions." Yoda breathed. "Our enemies wreak havoc on other places, beyond our reach they are. Find them, we must." Yoda said. Canderous nodded.

"Then it is agreed: our primary objective is to find away out of this galaxy, and to the next."

Rookie's vision was hazy, at best. He looked around. Everything was in shambles, every living being dead or dying. Rookie tried to move, but the ceiling had pinned his arms. Rookie struggled, but stopped abruptly as the door hissed open. In walked in the supposed "representatives", from the CIS. A loud moan echoed across the ruined mess hall. Rookie lifted his head just enough and what he saw made his heart nearly stop. Clustered in a group was his squad. Eric's large armored form was covering his friends, but Rookie could still see their heads.

"Oh look, our little friends from the hanger. Should repay their kindness to us?" Ventress asked. Maul and Savage laughed, and walked towards them. Ventress lifted her hand and Eric was lifted into the air. He was still awake, and he groaned in pain as he was lifted into the air.

"This one first." Ventress said gleefully. She activated her lightsaber, keeping her hand pointed towards Eric. As she walked closer, Rookie screamed.

"NOO! TAKE ME YOU BASTARDS, TAKE ME!" He screamed. His voice echoed around the silent room. Ventress cackled in mad delight. She walked over to where Rookie stood, keeping Eric close by. She knelt next to his struggling form.

"The one thing that you must understand about us Sith, is that we specialize in one thing: suffering." She plunged her lightsaber into Eric's chest. She then picked up rubble from the floor nearby and sent it flying at the rest of Rookie's squad.

"NOOOOOO! YOU FUCKING BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU HEARTLESS FUCKERS!" Rookie screamed. Ventress let out a high, cold, maniacal laugh.

"Then prepare to join your friends!" Ventress said in a singsong voice. With a burst of strength, Rookie freed himself from the pile of rubble and flung himself onto Ventress. He tackled her to the floor, and let loose a torrent of wild punches. Maul and Savage forced him off using the Force, and Ventress slowly rose to her feet. Rookie drew his Magnum, and emptied his magazine. The depleted uranium bounced harmlessly off Maul's lightsaber. Rookie then drew his sword and charged. Ventress stabbed at his abdomen, and the force from Rookie's shield snapping threw him across the mess hall. He hit the wall hard and slid to the floor.

"You, insolent, disrespecting, piece of filth." Ventress snarled. She approached Rookie, using the Force, grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up, choking him. His helmet, loosened by his crash, fell from his head. Ventress gasped and dropped her grip. She took several involuntary steps back. She had looked directly into his eyes, and she saw untold depths of hate and rage. Maul did the choking in her place.

"You fascinate me, human." He said. "It is such a pity your masters decided to reject our offer, you would have made such a good addition to my army." Maul said, faking sadness.

"Fuck you." Rookie gasped out. The door on his right hissed open, and a torrent of bullets flew from it. Maul barely let go of Rookie in time to doge Jane's relentless flood of depleted uranium. The three Sith took flight, and Jane ran quickly to Rookie's side. He had crawled over to his helmet and put it on, hearing the satisfying hiss as it pressurized.

"Are you alright?" Jane asked. Rookie nodded. He stood up, and went over to the rubble heap that buried his friends. He moved every bit and piece from them, and just sat there and starred. Jane stood by his side. "I know what it's like losing friends, but you have to move on." Jane said. Rookie nodded, and then leaned forward. From Mike, he took his right shoulder pauldron, which had the image of a woman wearing spandex on it. From Peskivi, he took his trademark Cossack blade. The blade felt light in his hands as he sheathed it. From McLaughlin he took his third energy sword. He activated it, and a bright red pair of blades came from the hilt. Jane stepped forward. "Shouldn't we give that to the scientists?" She asked. Rookie paid her no mind. From Hailey, he took her medical kit, which was mounted on her left thigh. Before he went over to Eric, he removed her helmet. Her ginger hair was splayed all over her face. Rookie slowly pushed it all away. Then, he took all of his squad's dog tags. He then went over to Eric, the big man still crumpled in the heap where he had fallen. Eric had one thing more important than anything in the world to him: his daughter. Rookie took her picture from his belt, than took his tags as well. Rookie picked up his SMG and nodded to Jane.

"Jane, Rookie, you there?" Admiral Vern called over the intercom.

"Yes sir, we are here." Jane said.

"Thank God, I thought we lost you. The invaders just got up and left, it was so abrupt our troops refused to move from their positions. The _Bite_ has suffered heavy damage but we've only lost two of our fighters. The other ships suffered minor damage, but the enemy ship, something's up." Vern said.

"What is it?" Jane asked.

"Huge energy spikes all over, on all decks. It seems like- the hell did it just go?" Vern said.

"What just happened?" Jane asked.

"The enemy ship just turned and shot away."

Ventress, Maul, and Savage all dashed onto the bridge.

"Grievous, why were we called off?" Savage asked.

"Those ships pack more of a punch than expected. Half of our fighters have been shot down by a force a quarter their size, with them only losing two! We must return to Separatist space, immediately!" Grievous said. And then, the ship turned, involuntarily and shot away. In the weeks to come, Grievous sent countless technicians to determine the source of the energy spike in the ship. But the Force could not be explained by technicians. Ventress never understood the hatred and rage she'd seen in the soldier's eyes, and neither did Maul. But they both felt that they would meet again. Soon.

**Author's note: Sorry I haven't updated in so long guys, I've been studying for my finals. But here it is! Now we will be transferring back to the Star War side of the story, and I will have tons of fun making that side. As always, this has been InnocentBlaze686, burning out.**


	6. Down from Hellish Skies, to green forest

In orbit over the planet Kayshyyyk…

Republic Venator class Star Destroyer _Keeper_.

Canderous Ordo stood by the window and stared down at the forest world. He watched as shuttles flew to and fro from the planet. It was good to be back in command after being shown the Republic's war machine, and then making improvements.

"Armor made from plastic, what idiot came up with that?" Canderous asked himself. He'd up the clones' armor from plastic, to plasteel. This could absorb about 4 shots before being breached, and also had built in energy shields. That implement had boosted combat effectiveness by 3 times. The shields were weak, but they were good in a tight situation. The so called "chicken walkers" had been upgraded so that the pilots weren't venerable to small arms fire. Other than that, he'd imputed a more rigorous training plan. The Republic spy networks were combing the galaxy, looking for any input as to what General Grievous was up to. As Canderous wondered, a clone came around the corner.

"General Ordo, sir?" The clone asked.

"What is it trooper?" Canderous replied.

"Generals Skywalker, Kenobi, and Windu are awaiting you on the command deck. They say it's urgent." The clone said. Canderous nodded, and began a brisk pace to the turbolift. He passed several clones on the way, as well as several droids. As he neared the turbolift; a young woman in a purple and black Jedi robe bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said. Canderous looked at her, and recognized her as the Padawan who had nursed him back to health, Barris Offee.

"No need, I should have been looking where I was going." Canderous said.

"Hey, Barris, wait up!" A voice called from behind them. Both turned to see Ashoka Tano running up behind them. "Well, it's good to see we're not the only ones headed for this meeting." Ashoka said.

"Indeed." Canderous said. He approached the turbolift and opened the door. He allowed both girls in before stepping in himself, and hitting the button for the command deck.

"A gentlemen, Mandalorian? I never knew such existed!" Ashoka said, leaning on the wall.

"Spend a good time with two different Jedi, and they tend to rub off on you." Canderous said as the doors slid open. The three walked over to the holoterminal where Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Windu stood.

"Not a moment too soon, Snips." Anakin said.

"Did you really think I'd let you down Skyguy?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Enough with the pleasantries, we have information that the CIS are making moves on four different planets." Windu said. Canderous place his hands on the edge of the holoterminal and leaned on them.

"Do we know which ones?" He asked.

"Naboo, Mandalore, and Kayshyyyk. The fourth is a densely populated planet." Obi-Wan said.

"That could mean Taris, Onderon, Coruscant, or any other of the core worlds." Ashoka said.

"Which leaves a lot of room for attack. Put the Core worlds on high alert and engage martial law for the time being." Canderous said.

"Until when?" Windu asked.

"Until the threat has been dealt with." Canderous said.

"General Windu, multiple hyperspace distortions. The Separatists are here!" An officer called out.

"I will take control of our forces on the ground, I will take Padawan Tano and Masters Skywalker and Kenobi. Can you and Padawan Offee deal with the fighting here?" Canderous asked.

"I will do my best." Barris said.

"I'll take care of things up here." Windu said. Canderous nodded. He motioned for his three Jedi to follow him down to the hanger. They took the turbolift down to the hanger deck and began a brisk pace to their fighters.

"So it begins." Obi-Wan said.

"What?" Ashoka asked.

"The Republic Intelligence Services have been hearing snippets of a rebooted Separatist offensive recently. I guess they were true." The ship suddenly shook violently, and they were all thrown to the floor. Then, the right wall where Obi-Wan and Ashoka stood next to was torn off, and the vacuum of space suddenly began to suck everything out. Obi-Wan and Ashoka were torn off of their feet as the vacuum sucked the oxygen. Obi-Wan and Ashoka managed to cling on to a piece of paneling left. Anakin helped his former master through. He then reach for Ashoka, but the paneling gave way, and she began to fall away into space. Canderous jumped through the hole in the wall, much to Obi-Wan and Anakin's horror.

"Ashoka, reach for me!'" Canderous screamed. Ashoka, who was slowly turning blue, grabbed hold of his hand. Canderous threw her backwards with his full might, and watched as she sailed through the hole. Then the ray shield came up as she landed with a thud on the floor. "Masters, I am quite alright out here. My armor holds about a half hour of air, so if you would kindly pick me up before that time expired, I would be happy." Canderous said through his helmet radio. A few moments later, Canderous was on an LAAT gunship down to the woshyr forests of Kayshyyk.

"Reports are coming in from several listening posts on the planet. They say that General Grievous is here." Obi-Wan said.

"Describe him for me. I've never seen the great General before." Canderous said.

"Grievous was once a Kaleesh warlord before his shuttle crashed. The Separatists healed him and grafted all of his vital organs into a cyborg body. His arms can form another pair, allowing him to wield four lightsabers. He's vicious in command as well as in combat." Obi-Wan said.

"Plus he's Obi-Wan's best friend." Anakin said, smiling.

"Far from it, my former apprentice." Obi-Wan said, exasperated.

"Entering planetary atmosphere in 5 seconds, hold on to something, because this gonna get a little rough!" The clone pilot said from up front. The gunship began to shake and rumble.

"Where are my Mandalorians being deployed?" Canderous asked.

"Jango and Boba Fett are leading your men along the Atran beachhead. They'll be defending against the Kaleesh warriors landing near that area." Anakin said.

"And you?"

"I'll be fighting in the air, once I get a hold of my fighter." Anakin said. Canderous looked at Ashoka, who was slightly shivering.

"Are you all right, Ashoka?" Canderous asked. She nodded numbly.

"I- I still feel, cold." She said.

"Vacuum does that to you, but it will pass when we get to the planet." Canderous said. Ashoka nodded again.

"Why, did you jump out like that, to get me?" She asked.

"Because I do not fear death any longer." Canderous said simply. "I've dealt death, but I've seen countless other die in my service. My only wish now is to rejoin them."

"General Ordo, you'll be dropping in 30 seconds! Fighting looks pretty rough, it will have to be a fast landing!" The pilot said.

"Drop me from this altitude over the battlefield." Canderous said.

"Sir?"

"You heard me. I want this gunship intact, not in a billion pieces." Canderous said.

"You sure about this?" Anakin asked.

"You finally show caution for him?" Obi-Wan asked?

"I have jump jets. Besides, I want to enter my first battle of the new age, Mandalorian fashion." Canderous said. He chuckled, as the doors slide open. "See you when this is all over!" Canderous called. He gave a mad laugh before diving out the open door. The doors slide shut and the pilot flew off.

"Why is it you show concern over the ideas he has, but not mine?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Because Master, it's fun to watch."

"Sometimes I wish you were still my Padawan, you'd be doing so much away from the battlefield, like logistics."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

Above the Atran beachhead…

Canderous dived out of the doors of the gunship, laughing as he did so. He relished the sensation of a drop, and he loved every second of it. He drew his blaster rifle from his magnetic holster on his back, and held it in his right hand. As he cleared the clouds, Canderous thought back to the Mandalorian conquests millennia ago. The Basilisk war droids, the burning of the Cathar homeworld, all in crystal clarity. In that instant, he was no longer Canderous Ordo. He was Mandalor the Preserver. As he neared the ground, he smiled, thinking of the gross carnage that was to come when he landed.

"Kelborn, are you there?" Mandalor asked his second.

"Yes sir, where the bloody hell are you sir?" Kelborn asked.

"Get ready for some carnage, only a mad man could inflict." Mandalor said.

"Sir?"

"WHO WANTS TO DIE FIRST?" Mandalor yelled at the top of his lungs. The Kaleesh all turned to see a figure in black grey armor descend upon them, like a demon sent from hell. A crazed laugh was heard as he let loose a torrent of red blaster bolts, killing everything in sight. Mandalor activated his jump jets, as he came dangerously close to the ground. He continued to fire, cutting down anything in his path. The Kaleesh turned their attention from the warriors in front of them, to the one behind them. This was a mistake, as every Wookie and Mandalorian charged their position. Bolts of green and red flashed across the beach as they charged, some discarding their blasters for their famed Mandalorian vibroblades. The Wookies did the same, roaring at their attackers as they crashed into them. However, the Kaleesh, led by their war chiefs and by the infamous General Grievous, did not back down so easily. They returned fire and began to trade blows with their attackers. Mandalor was in the thick of it. A Kaleesh warrior charged him, screaming, blade held high.

"Insolent whelp, I led the most feared fighting force in the galaxy, and you have the nerve to challenge me?!" Mandalor called. He sidestepped the charge, and brought his rifle stock onto the Kaleesh's spine, snapping it before shooting him in the back of the head. "Fool." Mandalor said. He turned to find a Kaleesh rifle stock bearing down on him. Mandalor dropped his rifle, and grabbed the stock. He reversed the movement, pushing the barrel into its owner's mouth, before reaching forward, and pulling the trigger. A sudden roar of flame was heard, and Mandalor watch as the Fetts descended from above, lighting their flame throwers. The screams of the Kaleesh was music to Mandalor's ears, and he laughed as three Kaleesh jumped on top of him.

"I hope you love flying!" He said, as he took off from the ground. The Kaleesh all screamed as Mandalor took them to 20 meters, before dropping them. He then proceeded to soar back into the dueling, bringing his own blade to bear. He sliced the first Kaleesh he saw in half, turning he kicked a Kaleesh chieftain in the back, sending him onto a Wookie's waiting blades.

"Mandalor!" A voice called from behind him. He turned to see a Kaleesh chief holding his vibroblade, aimed directly at Mandalor. "It is time to see whether or not 1000 years of sleeping has dulled your blade!" The chief charged, swing his vibroblade in an arc. Mandalor raised his in defense, blocking the blow that would have brained him. He then went on the offensive, slicing and cutting. He and the chief fought as the battle raged around them. Out of nowhere, 4 warriors surrounded Mandalor, and they in turn, began to hack at him. Mandalor was on the defensive, defending from 5 different enemies at once. He held out for a time, before his sword was sent dancing out of his hands.

"So, the mighty leader is not as good as his stories." Said one of the warriors. They openly laughed at him, mocking him. The chief stepped forward, and opened his mouth to taunt Mandalor, but a loud, enraged roar pierced the air. One of the warriors, the first to mock Mandalor, turned, only to be beheaded by a Wookie. The Wookie decimated the 3 other warriors, before rounding on the chief.

"What menace are you?" He asked, right before he was gutted by the Wookie. Mandalor turned to the Wookie.

"I am in your debt, Wookie." He said, bowing low. The furred behemoth was obviously taken aback by this, knowing who this man was. It let out a series of grunts and roars. Mandalor's helmet translated.

"You delivered a foe to my hands, and I repaid it with 5 foes." The Wookie said.

"What is your name, Wookie?" Mandalor asked.

"I am Chewbacca." The Wookie grunted.

"Then, Chewbacca let us spill more blood!" Mandalor said. A Kaleesh rushed him from behind, only to double over as Mandalor thrust his newly regained vibroblade backwards into his stomach. The Kaleesh were being routed as Mandalor and Chewbacca sliced, cut, and hacked their way through their bodies. Then, a heavy thud was heard in front of them. Mandalor watch as 5 CIS tanks plowed their way across the waters, the repulsorlifts whirring.

"Don't worry Canderous, I got this." Said a voice over Mandalor's comn link. Anakin came soaring over the beach with 4 Republic gunships. Rockets flew from their laces, and the tanks exploded in white hot flame. The Mandalorians and Wookies cheered as the watch the Kaleesh threw their weapons down on the sand, and went on their knees; throwing their hands in the air in surrender. Mandalor roared in triumph.

"Soldiers! We are ULTIMATE!" Mandalor roared. He felt like he could take on the entire CIS army right then. Which was good, because in the next few hours, he would have to.

"Canderous, this is Ashoka Tano, please respond!" Came Ashoka's voice in Mandalor's helmet.

"I'm here, what is your status?" Mandalor asked.

"The droids are overrunning the Mactern beach! We need support ASAP!" Ashoka said urgently.

"I'm on my way, hold out until then." Mandalor said. He cut the channel, and turned to Chewbacca. "I must go. You are a valiant warrior, Chewbacca, but if I come back and you're dead, I will piss on your grave." Mandalor said to the furry behemoth. "Kelborn, you're in charge!" Mandalor said. He activated his jump jets, and began to fly towards a hell worse than what he had faced in his time.


	7. Well, I have some explaining to do

**Author's Note: Hey guys, bad news. A while ago I was in Oregon with my family, and I was working on the next chapter of **_**Domination to Geoncide**_**. So I was working, but like an idiot I didn't save it to my flash drive. So now it's stuck down in Texas, where we live, because it was on my dad's laptop, while I'm up here in Virginia. Soooo, I took it upon myself to finish up two recent ideas I had, but never got around to finishing. These are both crossovers that you can see in their respective sections, as well as on my profile page. Well guys I hope you enjoy this new story beginning as well as the next and I'll see you guys on the next chapter of the main story. This is Innocentblaze686, burning out.**

Pandora. Unspecified location…

Five figures stood in the Hyperion passenger car; each with their own varied background and skills; each having their own reasons for being on that train. Axton, former Dahl PMC sergeant was in it for the glory. Maya, one of the supernatural Sirens, was looking for answers to why she was they way she was. Salvador, a native to the planet of Pandora, was in it to spite the Hyperion cooperation for attacking his village, Zero, the mysterious, four fingered assassin simply wanted a challenge. The fifth was a teenager named Gaige. Axton was more or less confused when he saw her on the train. He wouldn't have thought a mere teenager like her had any particular abilities.

"So why are you here?" Axton asked.

"Huh?" Gaige said, confused.

"We all have our reasons for being here, but we don't know about you." Axton said. The other Vault Hunters said nothing, but nodded in agreement. Gaige looked at the floor.

"Uh, I was doing a school science fair project on Eden-5. The original idea was called Project DT. It was designed to be an anti-bully project for school purposes. But on of my classmates, Marcy Holloway-" She gave a disgusted snort at her name, "Got the designs for DT and turned it into a crime fighting machine."

"And what's wrong with that?" Maya interjected.

"Eden-5's police force is full of fascists. When I heard this, I upped the game. DT was then called Deathtrap. He is armed with digistruct claws, a heat laser, and a shield booster. What went wrong at the science fair was that Marcy's father bribed the judges and Marcy won first, even though her bot overheated after 2 laser blasts. I got third. Marcy gloated in my face and pushed me. Deathtrap recognized her as a threat and swung at her with his claws. That wouldn't have been an issue if they where, uh calibrated right." Gaige said sheepishly. Axton, having experience with miscalibrations, realized what happened.

"She exploded didn't she?" He asked. Gaige nodded. Gaige opened her mouth to speak, but something banged on the compartment door. Everyone stopped and looked at the door. The banging continued.

"Who's gonna open that?" Maya asked.

"Any of you know how to clear a door?" Axton asked. No one moved. Axton sighed. "Alright, Maya get on the left side of the door, Salvador the right. I'm going to open the door, Zero, stay behind me." They moved to their spots.

"What about me?" Gaige asked.

"Stay back." Axton said simply. Gaige looked disappointed but did what she was told. Axton slowly crept towards the door, Zero behind him, sword drawn. He grabbed the handle, then counted from 3 down to 1. He yanked the door open, and through the howl of the wind, something darted through.

"Shut the door!" Gaige cried as skags took notice of them. Axton slammed the door shut and turned to face what had just come through. He felt his gut twist as he realized what had just burst through. It was a psycho. But Maya stepped between Axton, who had just raised his Dahl rifle.

"Don't shoot him!" She said. "Back on my train platform I got ambushed by rats. He saved me." Axton looked skeptically at the man. He was bare chest, showing off an impressive set of abs, he had on a gas mask, and he had on faded yellow pants. They looked more or less like Hyperion clothing.

"Does he remember his name?" Axton asked. The psycho suddenly spoke up.

"KREIG, KRIEG!" He screamed. Gaige took an involuntary ten steps away.

"Alright, Krieg, can you promise not to attack us?" Axton asked. Before he could answer, a sound came from Axton's right. He turned to see the sign that had hung from the ceiling saying, "Welcome Vault Hunter's", had fallen, it's place being taken by "TO your doom! Nothing personal." Behind that two Hyperion loaders powered up. Gaige stepped in front of Axton and raised her arm. Axton noticed that it wasn't made out of flesh, it was robotic. And from the arm, something digistructed.

"COME ON DEATHTRAP!" Gaige screamed. A floating robot torso appeared out of nothing. Claws came out of its hands and swiped at the loaders, slicing them in two, and then it was gone.

"Axton, watch out!" Maya screamed. Axton whirled to see a pair of loaders charging him. He threw out his turret, which unfolded and lay waste to the loaders. He turned to see another loader coming towards him, and he pulled his Torgue rocket launcher from his digistruct holster. He fired a rocket which soared past Maya. She saw a loader marching towards her and put it into Phaselock. From a hole in another car, Salvador jumped in. 3 loaders moved in on him, and he pulled both of his assault rifles from his digistruct holsters. He eviscerated the loaders and began to laugh manically. On the roof of the train, two Hyperion engineers ran towards Zero, who's back was turned. As they neared he turned, and the nearest engineer punched his stomach. But it wasn't there. Then, Zero appeared from behind them. He stabbed the first, leaving his sword in his abdomen, did a flip over the pair of engineer's and pushed the engineer into his impaled friend. And then there was Krieg, he watched as three Hyperion loaders came at him. He popped his neck, and then charged screaming "I HAVE THE SHINNEST MEAT BICYCLE!"

Unspecified location…

From his chair, the Illusive Man smiled. He had selected 6 candidates for Shepard's mission, 6 more to throw into this suicide mission. But, the Illusive Man knew that they would take the job, there was challenge and glory in it.

"Operative Cross, get Shepard on the line." He said, lighting a cigarette. A moment later, Commander Jaxn Shepard appeared.

"What do you need?" Shepard asked.

"Commander, have you ever heard of the Pandora Relay?" The Illusive Man asked.

"Rumors yes." Shepard said, raising an eyebrow.

"They're true. It exists, and through it lies and piece to the puzzle that is the Reapers. Technology discovered from the planet Pandora has proved to be from a civilization 200,000 thousand years before the Protheans. They left things called "Vaults", in each being an important technology guarded by a monster. They were, prisons as well as Vaults, meant for the strong. Your task is not only to collect some of this technology, but to recruit six more for your mission against the Collectors." The Illusive Man said.

"Are you sure about adding more? I barely have anymore space on the Normandy!" Shepard said.

"You'll find more. I'll see you soon Shepard." The line went dead. The head of Cerberus turned to face the sun before him. It was boiling red.


	8. Placeholder 2

**Author's Note: So this is the other story I had in the works, but that's not the reason for this. A guest reviewed **_**From Domination to Genocide**_**, and this is the main thing that attracted my attention. I quote "**Oh, well... I guess that explains a few things, such as how bullets and such  
can be deflected by the Forerunner Hardlight Shield and Covenant shield walls,  
doesn't it? I still don't like it, it feels like the Sith have too much of an  
advantage over the UNSC, and it still seems a little far fetched that one  
Sith, no matter how skilled, can deflect focused fire from a squad of marines  
using automatic weapons. The most common weapon in the clone's arsenal appear  
to be single shot carbines, while the UNSC uses either burst fire or full auto  
weaponry, with the odd carbine or high powered anti vehicle weapon thrown in. One last thing though, if you have the Sith able to deflect the shots from the  
UNSC's SRS series back at the shooter, I am going to be very unhappy. Same  
goes for the SAW and all mounted machine guns. I even read a story where a  
Force sensitive character deflected a tank round, and I stopped reading that  
story immediately after." **Firstly, at the last part, I had to laugh. A tank round?! Are we talking some cruddy old WWII tank? If it's a Scorpion round, that author has another thing coming. Dear guest, please send me the link to that story! But for real here, I will not have UNSC rounds deflected back at their users, usually. But, energized uranium is very hazardous, ricochet kills may occur in the story. And SAW and machine gun rounds WILL NOT go back to the shooter. They'll bounce off the walls like a kid on a sugar high. Hehehe. Anyways enjoy this other placeholder here, this has been Innocentblaze686 burning out.**

Christophsis…

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi observed from a far the work on the defenses. He sighed as the clone troopers struggled to build the fortifications, using pieces of the floor as cover, as well as vehicle debris.

"Nervous, Master?" A voice asked from behind. Obi-Wan turned to see his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, approach.

"Aren't you?" He asked, turning back to the clones.

"I think we'll win, I'm here after all." Anakin said, nudging his former master.

"I wish I could share your optimism, Anakin, but we are outnumbered and out gunned by at least 4 to 1." Obi-Wan said.

"We could just surrender, if you want to quit." Anakin said.

"Not in any lifetime would I surrender to the Separatists. They'd give me to Ventress, Dooku, even General Grievous." Obi-Wan said.

"Then have a little hope, Obi-Wan." Anakin said. Obi-Wan sighed.

"I wish I was still in my youth, then I would share your optimism." Obi-Wan said.

"Come on old man, cheer up." Anakin said. Obi-Wan snorted.

"I may not still be a Knight, but I can still beat you." Obi-Wan said.

"Prove it. Race you around the base!" Anakin said. Obi-Wan shook his head. Anakin was about to ask why not, when Obi-Wan dashed towards the nearest building, and jumped up it.

"You're on, scrap heap." He called as he ran across the building. Anakin laughed and ran after his dear friend.

Commander Sierra John 117 sat in the cargo bay of the _Hidden Valkyrie_. The _Valkyrie_ was one of four, brand new stealth frigates prototyped by the UNSC. The four ships had been group together as a new task force, alongside Prowlers and other scout ships. The four ships had been named, the Four Hidden Sisters, this had become the unofficial name of the task force John was a part of. The other three ships, the _Silent Amazon, _the _Quiet Angel_, and the _Vanishing Kunoichi_, were in the same task force on the same mission: Go on an exploration mission into unknown space. John had his Spartans had all stepped up to the call, each bringing with them the tactical experience needed for this job. However, one of the men who had signed up was the unusually quiet ODST who at this point in time, was sleeping. As usual. John never approached him, assuming he was like every usual Helljumper. John was now less inclined to believe that.

"Commander?" A voice called from his right. John looked up to see a Marine sergeant in the door. He looked tired and still thawing from his time in cryo-sleep. Most of the crew went into cryo during the jump to Slipspace. The Spartans and the lone ODST did not.

"Yes Sergeant?" John asked.

"Captain Warren wants you on the bridge, ASAP." The Marine said. John nodded, and began the walk to the bridge. By the time he got to the bridge, it was fully in gear. Every officer looked wide awake, and they were all ready for action. John looked at the captain of the _Valkyrie_, who stood at his chair.

"Commander, good to see you. I haven't seen you in two months." The captain said.

"I hope the sleep has addled your mind, sir." John said. Warren smiled slightly.

"Not at all. We'll be coming out of Slipspace in five minutes, and then we'll see if our efforts paid off." Warren said.

"Should we deploy our stealth systems after we drop out?" John asked.

"That's the plan. And one thing, this is for you." Warren said. He held out his palm, and John said a sliver-blue chip in his hand. John starred at it. "I was ordered to give this to you right before the transition back to real space." Warren said. John, hesitantly, reached for the chip. He took it, gently, and slowly, reached up to the back of his helmet, and slipped it into the slot on his helmet. As it initialized, he felt the all too familiar, an old, sensation of a cool presence in his mind. He stood stock still, waiting for anything to help.

"Hello?" He said meekly.

"Someone is a bit shy today." A voice said.

"John, this is Silent Vigil, one of our newer AIs." Warren said.

"It is a pleasure to be of service, Commander 117." Vigil said.

"It will be a pleasure to work with you, Vigil." John said.

"We're about to drop out of Slipspace, sir." One of the bridge officers called out.

"Give me count down." Warren said. He turned around to face the windows as the nav officer counted out the seconds.

"Reentry into normal space in three, two, one, reentering." The ship lurched forward as the entered normal space. John looked out the window at the system in front of him. He saw gas giants, a blazing star, and a planet with two moons. But over that planet, there was a battle raging.

"Sir, two unknown fleets are engaging over one of the planets." The sensors officer called.

"Scan both fleets for information, and how are the stealth systems running?" Warren asked.

"Green across the board sir."

Good, John, assemble your Spartans, get them to the briefing room." Warren said, turning to the Spartan.

"Aye sir." John said. As he walked out of the bridge; Vigil spoke.

"John, I'm getting some odd readings." Vigil said.

"Explain yourself." John said. A graph came up on John's left.

"Back in UNSC space, there is little to no life in space. It is rare to find life there at all." Another graph came up under the first. "In this part of space, there is life even in the vacuum of space." Vigil said.

"That is odd, but what is the point?" John said.

"Well, it's vacuum, there should be no life at all!" Vigil said.

"You can discuss this with the science crew later, but for right now, I need you ready to brief the Spartans, understood?" John said.

"Completely sir." Vigil said.

"I'm not trying to put a damper on your spirits, Vigil, but I need to understand what is going on in order to keep my people safe." John said as they entered the briefing room. The Spartan IIs all stood around the briefing room in their armor, chatting with one another. When Kelly, John's fastest Spartan, saw him enter, she instantly jumped to attention.

"Commander on deck!" She yelled. Every Spartan jumped to attention as John approached the briefing terminal.

"At ease ladies and gentlemen, we're all friends here." John said. He pulled Vigil's chip from his armor slot. "I would like to introduce a new member to our unit: UNSC AI Silent Vigil." John said. He inserted Vigil's chip into the terminal, and then stood back. He then froze abruptly. Vigil's avatar was that of a Spartan. He wore an EVA helmet, with ODST shoulder pieces, a parachute on his chest, and he had a tacpad on his right forearm.

Obi-Wan watched from the top of a tall, glass building as the clones patrolled. Anakin stood next to him, looking at a datapad. Obi-Wan suddenly doubled over, groaning in pain.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin said, nervous.

"I'm, I'm fine, Anakin, but something is not right." Obi-Wan said, straightening up slowly.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, putting down the datapad.

"Something just entered the system that should not be here." Obi-Wan said.

"Should I call the fleet?" Anakin asked.

"No, they won't be able to find it in time." Obi-Wan said.

"Find what in time?" Anakin snapped.

"I couldn't make it out; it vanished before I could get a good look at it." Obi-Wan said.

"Let me know if you have anymore visions. I don't want you doubling over in a fight." Anakin said sternly.

"Yes, mother." Obi-Wan said sarcastically. Anakin gave him a sharp punch to the shoulder.

"Sir, sir!" Called Clone Captain Rex as he ran up. His head was covered in sweat, and he was breathing hard.

"What is it, Rex?" Anakin asked.

"The Separatists, they're coming!"

John felt the _Valkyrie _enter the planet's atmosphere. The planet, called Christophsis by the galactic populace, was a massive glass city-planet. The briefing had informed the Spartans and lone ODST, that there were two sides to the conflict: The Republic and the Confederation of Independent Systems, also called the Separatists. John knew exactly who he was siding with, just by the names. And also by the troop types, as well. John preferred living fighters to nonliving ones, as did his superiors. So, the UNSC had unofficially sided with the Republic. The one thing John wanted to meet while on the planet was one of these Jedi. They were this galaxy's equivalent of a Spartan, without the augmentations. John and his Spartans and the lone ODST were all in the belly of a Seagull troop transport. The Seagull could carry 45 troops sitting down, as well as numerous supply canisters. The underside could carry two Warthogs for rapid deployment. In this case, John got one of his favorites: the Gauss Hog. But what John was really thinking about was Vigil. His avatar made John wonder who his creator really was. Just then, the AI spoke to John.

"John, are you all right? I'm seeing increased activity in your frontal lobe." Vigil said.

"Your avatar is that of a Spartan, why?" John asked.

"I was based off of a human brain, sir. Spartan C-686 was my brain donor." Vigil said.

"Was?" John asked. Vigil paused.

"He is listed as MIA sir." Vigil said.

"So, in reality he's KIA?" John asked.

"No sir. Unlike the Spartans that fell during the Human Covenant War, he was… for lack of a better term, teleported away while exploring a Forerunner shield world." Vigil said.

"And the shield world?" John asked.

"It suffered the same fate." Vigil said. John nodded.

"Commander 117, a battle between the Republic and the CIS is taking place. Should we join the fray?" Captain Warren asked over the comn. Initially, John was confused. That was the captain's choice, not his.

"Isn't that your choice, sir?" John asked.

"I just got off the horn with ONI. They are now giving you full control of the task force." Warren said. John was speechless. He was given command of over 4,000 UNSC men and women? Was this a test?

"Hang back until the Republic really needs assistance, then we move in." John said.

"Understood. We'll move into position to assist the Republic fleet. Warren out." The line went dead.

"That was unusual." Vigil said.

"Indeed." John said.

"Here they come!" Commander Cody cried as the CIS forces rolled in. The orange energy shield was growing closer. He only hoped that General Skywalker could pull off his plan.

"Hold fire until the shield passes over us. Rocket launchers first, fire on the lead tanks." Rex said. The air was full of nervous tension, so thick of it, you could taste it. The steady drum of the droids' feet was putting everyone on edge. The orange glow grew brighter, and brighter as it neared. 100 feet, 90 feet, 80 feet.

"Rex!" Cody called.

"Yes sir?" Rex said, turning to face his superior. Cody gave a snap salute.

"It's been nice having you with the 501st." Cody said.

"Thanks for getting me in, sir." Rex said. The shield was a yard away from them. It passed over the front rank, and the rocket teams popped out of cover, and promptly opened fire. The lead two tanks we hit by at least two rockets a piece, sending them high into the air, exploding into a bright ball of orange flame. After that, chaos reigned. The clones let loose a flood of blue plasma, demolishing the 1st through 5th rank. Soon after that, red blots of light flew back at the clones. Several fell, but the flood didn't stop. The tanks, unable to get past the destroyed first two, were content at blasting away from behind them. Soon, the CIS droids were thundering yards away from the clone barricade.

"BOYS, LET THEM HAVE IT!" Cody roared. The clones leaped over the barricade, clone heavy gunners first, followed closely by their light blaster rifled companions, before the rest of the clones roared and charged. Rocket teams fired their payloads into the enemy horde, then drew their weapons, and charged. It was utter mayhem on the planet of Christophsis.

"Commander, the Republic seems to need help, shall we engage?" Warren asked.

"Vigil, give me a tactical overlay of what's happening." John ordered. A map soon filled John's HUD. He watch the clones desperately fight against the unending army of the CIS. "Show me the shield generator of that thing." John ordered. Vigil flew the camera over to the generator, where a structure emitting orange light stood. In front of it, was a field of antenna, and beyond that, two figures. One was defiantly human, the other was…humanish. It was female, with orange skin, and white and blue stripped worm like appendages coming out of her head. She accidentally triggered one of the antenna, and the ground shook. "Warren, send ODSTs and Sangheili Spec Ops to these coordinates ASAP. As for the rest of the task force, drop them off, and let them rip!" John said. The Seagull pilot landed about 400 feet behind the clone forces, as did numerous others. The task force ships had numerous Sangheili warriors on board, as well as carrying a stealth field, allowing the Seagulls to be cloaked while the ships were as well. In 2 minutes flat, 15 Seagulls had landed their cargo.

"MARINES, ARE YOU READY?" John yelled. In the heat of the battle Rex's headed turned to hear the source of the yell.

"HOORAH!" The Marines cried back.

"CHARGE!" John cried, and he and the Spartans dashed forward. The vehicles, namely the Warthogs and Mongooses, revved up and drove away. They were the first to puncture the field, the hoods gleaming in the light. Rex watched in utter surprise as a wheel vehicle appeared out of nowhere. Then he notice the triple barreled gun mounted in the back. He then watched as it destroyed 20 droids in the space of 6 seconds. The Battle for Christophsis, was now in full swing.

**Author's note: So, I should probably explain this. To tell the truth, I lost the chapter I had originally been working for Domination to Genocide. This I had been working on around the time the first chapter came out. So, I thought I might put this chapter out so I could advertise for the story this will be for, **_**Saviors of Unknowns**_**. I hope you all liked this, and please check out the other story. This has been, as usual, InnocentBlaze686, burning out.**


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